Leave it to Fate
by tulip in a dream
Summary: He is my love, my heart, my everything , but how long will it last? how long before happiness is torn from us?
1. First Encounter

The wind blew through the fall leaves, leaving nothing but a minor whistle as evidence that it exists. The breeze touched her pale skin as she waited to cross the street. The letter that she held in her hand swiped by its invisible power, only to land in front of the man whose head was covered with dandelion-colored hair. As he leaned forward to pick up the bright pink letter covered with an atrocious looking bunny that seemed to be mocking him, he heard the rushing pitter-patter of two small feet. He lifted his gaze only to be struck by the girl, no, woman that stood before him. His eyes traveled over her form as he studied everything that was her. She was small, and her hands could only be classified as dainty. "_Midget_," he found himself thinking, and unconsciously formed the tiniest of smirks on his face. Her face was framed by a luscious, raven curtain that revealed the most enticing, amethyst orbs that he had ever been lucky to gaze upon. Exercise had painted her cheeks with the rosiest of pinks, only to add more enchantment to her complexion. The girl in front of him was in a word, beautiful.

"Excuse me, Sir," she managed to say after taking a moment to catch her breath, "that letter is mine."

She craned her neck to get a better look at his face. She was overwhelmed by the brightness of his hair. "_Well, this is different,_" she mused to herself, causing a smile to form on her face. She was brought back to the task at hand by the sound of his voice as it left his beautiful lips.

"Here you go. HELLO!" He called as he waved his hand in front of her. She seemed to be in a daze and he started to wonder if his hair really caused that much of a shock. It was a typical reaction. This caused his everlasting frown to become more pronounced. He became self conscious as she continued to gawk at him. "HEY!"

"Sorry," she said sheepishly. She was embarrassed that she was caught staring, but could anyone really blame her? The man in front of her was tall and handsome, even if his hair was bright orange. That only added to his sexiness. He handed her letter to her. "Thanks for stopping it from going any further. This letter is really important to me. I was on my way to take the bus to give it to someone, when the wind blew it out of my hands. I was really worried. Thanks so much, Sir." She said as she bowed towards him.

He raised an eyebrow at her, finding her proper address endearing. "Don't sweat it, squirt," he said nonchalantly as he turned around to continue on his way, not caring in the least about the proper conduct required when addressing a stranger. "Oww!"he yelped in the middle of the street. He never expected that she would strike him. "WHAT THE HELL! What was that for?" He stared at her and found her purple gaze ablaze with anger, making them even more mesmerizing to him. "I'm not a squirt! It's not my fault that you are freakishly taller than most people, you JERK!" She screamed at him. She knew she was short, but hey, she preferred to call it vertically challenged. It was not her fault the she was automatically dwarfed down when he stood next to her. In her eyes, he was at fault. She turned around furiously, to cross the street, letting that be her words of farewell. She left him there, thinking that it would be the last time that she would ever see him. It was too bad that fate had other plans in store for her.

He stood there in bewilderment, to say the least. She kicked him! No girl had ever done that to him. He was used to women flocking themselves around him which annoyed him like no other. He broke out of his reverie after hearing her yell at him. He scoffed at the fact that he managed to ruin all his chances by getting under her skin so easily. "_Nice going, Kurosaki_," he thought. He didn't even manage to get her name. He shrugged his shoulders in defeat. Letting his gaze trace over where she had last turned the corner and disappeared, he moved his feet towards his original destination. Thinking this was the end of his encounter with the beautiful midget, he never imagined what the future had in store for him.


	2. The Bus Ride

Authors Note: New Chapter for you guys to enjoy. Thanks for reading and reviewing this story.

Disclaimer" I dont own bleach because if i did, ichigo and rukia would already be married.

* * *

She didn't know how she managed to sit next to him on the bus. '_Great'._ It seemed like the gods were against her. It was the only explanation she could come up with given the circumstances. She just had to get on THIS bus.

* * *

_Rukia finally made it to the bus stop. Unfortunately, she had missed the bus she had intended to take due to the little fiasco she had endured. She sighed; frustrated that the day when she was going to confess her love to the man she had a crush on, everything seemed to go wrong. Back in the office, she approached Kaien to confess with unwavering determination, only to freeze at the simple sound of his voice. This earned her a confused look from him and a pat on her head as he left her side to continue on working._

_Lunchtime came around and Rukia had gathered all the courage she could muster in order to confess. She had a plan, DAMN it! She was Rukia Kuchiki. Nothing scared her; this was no exception. She saw Kaien approaching, and nervousness over took her body. 'What if he says no?' She was paralyzed with uncertainty, so much so, that she was brought back to reality by the sound of his voice, asking if she was ok. She mumbled a simple "yes" and excused herself to restroom, taking the cowardly way out of an awkward situation. She ran to nearest facilities she could find in her company. She closed the door and let her back rest on its surface. She sighed in embarrassment. _

_Twice._

_Twice, she had run away from him like a scared puppy. "What is the matter with me?" She knew she was acting childish; acting like those stupid high school girls that shied away when the guy they liked came up to them. This wasn't her. She had an amazing reputation here at Karakura Design,Inc. She was a beginning architect with great promise; one of the most professional people that had passed through the firm in a long time. Even at the age of 25, she had already gained favor with top execs of her firm. She was smart, articulate, and a gifted designer. She could complete any task with ease. _

'_Why can't I do this?' Her eyebrow furrowed in contemplation. When it came to anything personal, she was weak. 'Am I really this weak?' Was she really going to let fear get the best of her?_

"_No." She answered her own question. She wasn't going to allow herself to remain weak. If she wanted happiness, she was going to go get it. There was no turning back. With new-found determination, she went to seek out Kaien, in hopes of starting a new chapter in her life. Unfortunately, he was nowhere to be found. Disappointed, but unwilling to give up, she decided that she would tell him at his apartment. She knew where it was, but she needed an excuse. Anything would do. _

_She smiled as a sudden realization came to her. 'The invitation to my birthday party, I haven't given it to him yet.' She smirked. "Perfect." She went to her office to get her stuff and quickly grabbed the bright pink envelope as she left the firm. _

_Knowing that the next bus would soon to arrive at its destination, she rushed to get there. In her hurry, her hand held her invitation loosely enough for the wind to knock it off from her grasp. She ran after it, only to end up in front of a man with orange hair that she would describe as utterly frustrating. After the argument, she had gone to wait at the bus stop around the corner, knowing that she would have to wait for another one to pass. She saw the bus approaching her; she stood up to get on. She never would have imagined that the bus would be full, only two seats remained. Shock ran through her system as orange caught her eye. 'Please let this be a new trend.' No such luck. It was him. I was dandelion-head! There was a seat vacant next to him. His eyes met hers in disbelief. 'No way in hell am I sitting there!' She turned to the other vacant seat with a scowl, only to be mortified when she saw the man sitting there._

_His clothes were dirty and holes were in places where they shouldn't be. He smirked at her as he looked her in the eyes. Rukia swore she saw him lick his lips. Yeah, that wasn't a good decision. She decided that she would remain standing, only to discover that the man was oogling at her, more like her ass. She panicked and sat next to dandelion-head. She turned around to see his face, only to find a smirk playing on his lips._

_

* * *

_

"I thought you weren't going to sit next to me, midget." He said smugly. She glared at him, and quickly turned her head to face the front. "So you aren't going to talk to me? I thought we were friends since you took the liberty of leaving a bruise on my shin."

"We are not friends and you deserved that for calling me short."

"If I remember correctly, I called you 'squirt'. Not short. Can you blame me for saying so though?"

"OUCH!," he yelled. Her elbow came in contact with his ribs. He looked her in the eyes and was met with her sparking purple eyes filled with anger that caused fear to run through his body. Man, if looks could kill. He was afraid and now, and he was cornered within the seats of this bus. He couldn't escape.

"It's the same thing, you idiot! " she muttered through clenched teeth, trying so hard to keep decorum but failing miserably. "At least I'm not a freakishly tall idiot who doesn't have any manners!"

"SHUT UP! Keep you lover's quarrel to yourselves! Nobody wants hear your screaming!" a random stranger shouted. This broke their argument. Finally aware of their surroundings, they both blushed when they discovered that all stares were on them. They remained silent for a while, not noticing that seats gradually became vacant. "So are you going to tell me what in that envelope?"

"No!" she snapped. He sighed. _'This woman is frustrating.'_ "Look. I'm sorry." He said as he grabbed the back of his neck nervously. "I don't know what came over me. I shouldn't have called you short. There better?"

She raised an eyebrow at him, questioning whether he was being sincere. Noticing his nervousness, she came to the conclusion that he was. She sighed out of relief as the tension between then slowly dissipated into thin air. "I accept your apology. I apologize for hitting you, even if you deserved it." She smiled at him. His face held a scowl but in those giant amber eyes, she swore she saw amusement. '_He does have beautiful eyes…" _she drifted off in thought for a moment, only to come back to her senses quickly before she was caught staring at him for so long. She turned her head to the front once again to avoid eye-contact.

"This is actually an invitation." She said, running her finger along the name that it was addressed to.

"For a party?"

"yeah…"

"When is it?"

"In two weeks."

"Why didn't you just drop it off in the mailboxes around town?"

Her cheeks flushed pink as she answered. "W…well, I wanted to do it personally, T..That's all."

"Right…."

_Sigh._ "OK, I'm actually using this invitation to my advantage. I…it's for someone that I work for, whom I truly admire and respect…"

"You like this guy, I guess..."

"I want to tell him how I feel, but I've been to chicken to actually do it."

"Just do it. If he doesn't like you back, it's his loss." He said as he shrugged his shoulders.

"Thanks." She smiled at him.

He tried to ignore the fluttering in his stomach that her smile caused, he looked out the window. "No Problem."

They felt the bus slow down at one of the stops, and Rukia stood up. "Well, this is my stop. I'm glad to know you weren't such a horrible person as I first thought. Wish me luck."

"Same here." He smiled. "Good Luck, midget." She glared him for a moment, and then she smiled.

"It's not midget. It's Rukia. Rukia Kuchiki."

He smirked. "I see... I'm Ichigo Kurosaki."

"See you later!" she said as she got off the bus.

He waved his hand at her lazily, signaling his good bye. He continued to rest his gaze on her until she was no longer capable to be seen. _"I hope this isn't the last time we see each other."_


	3. Broken

Sorry I haven't updated as quickly as I had hoped. I hope you guys enjoy this. Please remember to review and comment. Constructive criticism is always encouraged.

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.

* * *

Broken

As Rukia hopped off the bus, she felt a slight pull on her heart. She turned around in time to see Ichigo wave lazily at her causing her lips to turn upwards. Shaking her head, she turned around and headed towards Kaien's apartment. The closer she got to her destination, the more nervous she got. Her steps faltered as she tried to find that courage she had encountered when she left her office. There was no turning back. Here was the building made of metal and a lot of glass, the building where he lived. She entered and looked for apartment 13. As the numbers dwindled down, she finally reached his front door. '_Its now or never.'_ Taking a deep breath, she lifted her hand to knock on the door until she heard the door opening. Rukia was in panic mode. '_I should have knocked sooner. Now he is going to see me standing here like an idiot. Damn it!'_

"Rukia? What are you doing here?" Kaien said surprised to find the short girl in front of his doorstep. She looked in a mental debate before she looked at him with absolute horror. " Hey are you ok?" he asked, concern in his eyes.

Rukia came out of her reverie, and blushed madly. She looked down trying to hide her embarrassed state before she spoke. " Y…yeah I am fine Kaien." Taking a deep breath, she looked into his eyes and smiled. " I … I just came to drop off an invitation to my birthday party. Since I didn't have a chance to see you at the office, I decided to bring to you personally." She handed the bright pink envelope.

"Chappy?" He raised an eyebrow that caused her to blush even more furiously.

"What? He is cute!"

" Riiiiighht…." He smiled at her. " Don't worry Kuchiki, I wont tease you since it is your birthday party after all. You can count on me to be there."

Rukia smiled, her stomach fluttering with intense happiness. " That's great!" She looked down for a moment before she opened her mouth again. "Kaien?"

"Yeah?" Silence reigned over them as Rukia attempted to open her mouth to say what she came there to say, only for her mouth to close without anything being spoken.

"You can spit it out, Kuchiki. We're friends, right?"

"Kaien…"

"What is it?"

" I know we are friends and we get along really great…"

"Yeah, we do!"

" Well…I want to tell you something, being friends is just not enough for me. I want to be more than that. "

"Rukia…. I." He attempted to say something before Rukia interrupted him.

"Let me get this out of my chest. Kaien, I like you. I really, really like you. I feel really comfortable with you… like I can be me. So, yeah, I want to be more than friends. What do you say?"

Shock loosened its hold on Kaien, as his eyes saddened. " Rukia…." Rukia felt her stomach drop, as he saw his eyes avoid her. She looked down in shame, knowing his answer before he spoke. " You are a great girl and all, but I don't feel that way about you. You have been a great friend to me, and I hope to continue that friendship, if you permit me. Don't get me wrong, you are awesome and cute, Kuchiki…" She chuckled bitterly. "But, my heart has already been taken my someone else."

"Kaien, are you ready?" a feminine voice rang from inside the apartment.

Rukia's eyes widened in horror as her heart was torn apart further. "I'm so sorry for interrupting you Kaien." She whispered to him. " I have to go."

The girl reached the front door at the same time. "Kaien, we have dinner reservations remember?" She turned around to meet Rukia's shocked eyes. " Oh!, Who is this?"

She asked with a friendly smile.

"She is a friend of mine from work. She came to drop off an invitation to her birthday party. Rukia, meet my girlfriend, Miyako. Miyako, this is Rukia." He said awkwardly.

"Rukia? THE Rukia I heard so much about?" She asked happily. " I'm so happy to meet you." She extended her hand enthusiastically towards Rukia, who was obligated by decorum to accept it.

"Its nice to meet you too," she lied. Rukia looked at Kaien's girlfriend. She was really pretty. She was taller than her and had beautiful blue eyes. Her hair was black and was put up in a flirtatious bun. She wore a beautiful red dress. As much as she tried to hate her, she just couldn't. The girl radiated kindness and warmth. Her smile was definitely contagious, and she couldn't compete with that. She put a smile on her face as she spoke: "Well, I…I did what I had to do. I have to get going before it gets too late. It was really nice to meet you, Miyako. I'll see you Monday at work, Kaien! Bye!" She turned around quickly as she set out to find the nearest exit to that dreadful building. She managed to hear them say their goodbyes, but she was unable to speak due to her throat constricting. The tears that had build up during her attempt to escape had been released. She ran away from that place, ran as far as her small feet could take her.

It was no longer sunny as the sun had set not a while ago. The temperature had dropped considerably and the rain clouds decide to make their presence known. The cold droplets brought goosebumps to her skin, and she shivered to try to keep herself warm. She finally came to a stop. She found herself near a bus stop and sat down at the bench, not minding at all that it was wet. The rain weighed heavily on her, but not as heavy as her heart felt at the moment. Her heart was broken and she was in no mood to pick up the pieces. '_Why couldn't he love me?_' Her tears hidden behind the façade of rain, she stood and continued to walk. She reached her apartment completely drenched, and her feet ached due to the long journey she had taken. She slipped out of her shoes, only to unveil the multiple blisters that had formed. Letting all her belongings fall on the floor, she walked towards her bathroom, seeking the warmth of a shower. She remained fully clothed as she stood underneath the showerhead, releasing all her sorrow under the steady stream of water. Now, numb to the world, she sat down in the shower with her head lying on her knees. She had no clue how long she had stayed there. When her muscles ached from being in the same position for too long, she got up and removed her clothes. Grabbing a towel to wrap her body with, she left her enclosure to enter her sanctuary. Without a care that she was wet and naked, she dragged herself to bed, only to pass out from exhaustion.

* * *

The next day couldn't have come too soon. It seemed that the sun's brightness was mocking her depressed soul. Everyone around her was too happy. Everyone was together. She knew she was bitter that things had not gone her way. To her, Fate was a cruel being that had toyed with her feelings. She had gotten up that morning completely restless. She managed to put on some jeans and a simple white t-shirt; she was in no mood to dress up. Leaving her apartment was a hurdle that she had to overcome. She wanted to remain indoors and eat all the ice cream out of her freezer while watching an overly romantic movie. She wanted to linger in her misery, but her ego wouldn't let her. She was Rukia Kuchiki! She would not let a man bring her down for too long. '_I have to remain strong, like nothing happened, no matter how much my heart is aching right now._' Walking into her favorite café in the city to get her much-needed drink, she ordered a cappuccino at the counter. When she saw that her drink was ready, she stood to retrieve it. Muttering a small "thank you,_" _she turned around only to bump into a man, a man with orange hair.

"I...Ichigo?"

"In the flesh. What the hell happened to you, Midget? You look like a train wreck!"

"Why you stupid Strawberry!" That was all that was heard before her foot made contact with his shin.


	4. Coffee

"Damn it! You little…!"

"Sir, could you keep your voice down?" said the woman behind the counter.

Ichigo shot daggers at the barista, effectively shutting her up. He didn't know how someone so tiny could make him double-over in pain. He had a sinking feeling that it wouldn't be the last time his poor legs would feel the wrath of the munchkin.

_

* * *

_

Ichigo had come to his home away from home- Café Expo. He had an addiction to coffee and the interior environment was ideal to pass the time reading a good book, preferably Shakespeare. He dropped his belongings on the last open table he could find and headed towards the counter, only to stop at the beautiful scene in front of him. It was the beautiful spitfire he had met only yesterday. 'Ok, this is getting creepy' he thought. Seeing her out of her work clothes enhanced her natural beauty. He could tell that she barely had any make-up on and the jeans she wore seemed to hug her in all the right places. She topped them off nicely with a loose white blouse, giving her the illusion of a struggling artist. It definitely looked good on her.

_Ichigo had a hard time not staring at her. He noticed rather carefully how her shirt rode up as she stood on her tip-toes to get her drink, revealing her porcelain navel. He mentally slapped himself for looking so intently. Now self-conscious, he looked around to make sure no one noticed him and pointed him out as a pervert. 'It wouldn't do if I end up with Keigo's reputation,' he thought. _

_Before he knew it, his feet had carried him off to be near her. Her back was facing him, and ever so slowly turned towards him, causing her to bump into his chest, before he could utter a word of greeting. Shock was plastered on her features, which made Ichigo's mouth turn into a mischievous smirk; he was definitely going to enjoy getting her flustered. The words left his lip before he could stop himself from saying them. _

"_I…Ichigo?"_

_"In the flesh. What the hell happened to you, Midget? You look like a train wreck!"_

_He didn't know what possessed him to do it, but it definitely got a reaction from her. He saw her eyes widen as anger began to sip in her amethyst orbs. Her foot made contact with his shin as she screamed something offensive at him, which he didn't manage to hear since the pain kept him a little preoccupied. _

"_Damn it! You little…!" _

"_Sir, could you keep your voice down?" said the woman behind the counter. _

* * *

"What the hell are you doing here?" She bellowed.

"This is a coffee shop, and I wanted coffee. Is the concept too hard for you to understand?" He raised an eyebrow at her when he caught her free hand come together a into tiny fist.

"W…well No, but at least look where you are going!"

"It's not my fault that you are too preoccupied and unaware of your surroundings."

"Whatever is keeping me preoccupied is my business. And what gives you the right to insult someone after _**you **_have so ungraciously bumped into them?"

"For starters, there is a lot wrong with that statement. Let me clarify the situation since you tiny brain can't seem to grasp it. A) You bumped "ungraciously " into me; and b)I'm pretty sure whatever has you so distracted is the cause of your "unique" appearance, hence my statement; and finally, c)I call it as I see it."

As he finished his sentence, he felt her elbow hit his stomach. He couldn't say he didn't deserve that, but he should probably lay off the teasing. Her evil treatment towards him was definitely diminishing his manly ego to zero.

Rukia felt great satisfaction at having punished Ichigo how he deserved. It brought a smirk to her face thinking of the pain she caused him. 'Serves him right…' She didn't understand what had happened to their mutual understanding yesterday. Now, he was back to being the total idiot she first met. With disappointment displayed on her features, she turned on her heel to leave.

Suddenly, she felt a rather large hard grasping her forearm.

"Don't go." He said as if he was scared.

'_Scared of what?'_ She thought. Rukia raised an eyebrow, confused at his behavior. She had come to the conclusion that he wouldn't care that she left, but as her eyes traveled the length of his arm and met his amber eyes, she was surprised. His eyes were pleading for her to stay, and she didn't know why his glance caused goosebumps to run through her body.

"Why should I?" She crossed her arms in defiance, making sure she balanced her coffee within them.

He removed his hand from her body as if he was scorched by the touch of her skin. Ichigo sighed heavily. "I don't know." He stated as his hand reach the back of his neck signaling his discomfort. "Maybe because you look like you need to talk to someone or something like that…"

"No, thank you. I came here alone and I plan to sit here alone," she remarked as she turned once again to leave.

"Well you came at the wrong time for that. Did you set your things before you went to go get your coffee? Because if you didn't there is no way you are getting a seat here."

"Well then I'll just leave. Simple solution. Goodbye."

"Come on. What are you afraid of? I'm not going to feel you up, you know? "He managed to let that out before he took a sip of his coffee with an apparent smirk on his face.

"Pervert! I wasn't thinking like that anyway. Also, I am not scared of anything. Kuchiki's are never afraid."

"Well then, prove it. Come sit with me." He pointed at the table where his stuff was laid out.

Rukia didn't know what the hell just happened. '_How in the hell did I manage to walk into that one? I am an idiot._' She huffed loudly as she stomped her way to the table making sure that her noticed her dislike at being tricked to stay. After making sure that the seat was clean, Rukia moved to sit at the booth and placed her coffee on the table. She was sure that if she had the coffee in her hands, it would magically end up in his face. A small smirk appeared on her face at the thought, but was quickly removed when Ichigo began to make conversation.

"See, now you can enjoy your warm coffee in the shop instead of enduring the walk home or whatever, and end up with a cold drink."

She glared at him.

"Didn't people ever teach you not to stare?"

"With that kind hair, it is kind of hard not to." She said stoically.

"Whatever, midget!"

"Didn't your mom ever teach you not to call people names? Where are you manners?" She turned her head to the side.

"That would have been slightly difficult considering that she died when I was young."

Rukia's head had never turned so quickly, her eyes widening at the realization of her offending remarks. She was filled with instant guilt. She looked straight at Ichigo's face, managing to see the sadness in his eyes before he hid it with apathetic stare.

"Look, I am really… I didn't mean to …"

"Yeah Yeah ... I know… Don't worry about it."

They sat there in a silence letting awkwardness of their conversation get the best of them. Coffee had never tasted so bitter.


End file.
